Chinese tourists spark ire in Vietnam with controversial shirts

A photo of Chinese tourists wearing T-shirts depicting Beijing’s claims to the disputed South China Sea has sparked online anger in Vietnam, prompting calls for the visitors to be deported.

The shirts featured a map of China and its so-called nine-dash line — the sea boundary found on some 1940s-era maps which Beijing says proves its claim to most of the waterway, despite partial claims from Vietnam and other nations.

The territorial dispute is a hot-button issue in Vietnam, which has a turbulent history of conflict with its neighbour.

The visitors arrived in southern Cam Ranh airport on Sunday night and were stopped by security at the immigration desk, an airport police officer confirmed to AFP.

“We asked them to take the T-shirts off before allowing them to leave the airport,” said the officer, without providing his name because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Photos of the tourists in their nationalist attire made the rounds on social media — with the nine-dash line crossed out with an “X”.